Method and apparatus for converting standard lumber into a grinding rail

ABSTRACT

A portable grinding rail assembly for use with skateboards, in-line skates, and the like. The assembly includes a beam that is preferably a piece of stock wood, such as a two-by-four, having support legs attached to each end of the beam. The assembly also includes a cover or cap that sits on top of the beam and provides the riding surface for the skates. The cover and the support legs are removable from the beam so that the assembly is easily transported and to allow sale and shipment of the support legs and cover separately from the beam. The cover can also be L-shaped for use with existing, stationary supports, such as roadway curbs.

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/229,545, filed on Sep. 5, 2000, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates generally to a grinding rail device that anindividual rides along. More specifically, the invention relates to aportable grinding rail assembly for use with skateboards, in-lineskates, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Typical, portable grind rails for skateboard, in-line skates andthe like are large, heavy assemblies made from metal and weldedtogether. As a result, the previous portable rails are in fact difficultto move and to ship to a purchaser and are cumbersome to keep in shopsin which they could be sold. Also, the previous rails often requiredwelding and easily rust. Thus, prior art rails can not easily berepaired as necessary. Further, due to the extensive amount of materialrequired for the fabrication of a sturdy metal rail, prior rails aregenerally expensive.

[0004] An example of a prior art rail is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.5,718,412 to Levanas, the entire disclosures of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] An object of the invention is to provide an improved rail forriding.

[0006] Another object of the invention is to provide an improved railfor skateboards, in-line skates, and the like.

[0007] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a rail assemblythat is lightweight and easy to ship, assemble, and transport.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide an improved railfor riding formed with a beam of commercially available lumber that iseasily obtained in local home supply stores to avoid the need ofshipping the beam.

[0009] Still another object of the invention is to provide a grindingrail that can be assembled without cutting or welding and requiring onlythe screwing of fasteners.

[0010] The above objects can be attained by providing a rail assemblyfor supporting a rider, comprising a non-metallic, elongated beam havinga first end, a second end, a top surface, and a bottom; a first supporthaving an upper receiving area coupled to the first end of the beamadjacent the bottom of the beam, the first support having a lowerportion for contacting a surface and for spacing the beam from thesurface; and a cover positioned over the top surface of the board andspaced from the first support, the cover having a relatively smooth,upper exterior surface.

[0011] The above objects can be further attained by providing a grindingrail assembly, comprising an elongated wooden beam having a first end, asecond end, a top surface, and a bottom; a first metal support having anupper receiving area coupled to the first end of the beam adjacent thebottom of the beam, the first support having a lower portion forcontacting a surface and for spacing the beam from the surface; a secondmetal support having an upper receiving area coupled to the second endof the beam adjacent the bottom of the beam, the second support having alower portion for contacting the surface and for spacing the beam fromthe surface; and a metal cover positioned over substantially the entirelength of the top surface of the beam and spaced from the first support,the cover having a relatively smooth, upper exterior surface.

[0012] The above objects can be further attained by providing a methodof using a rail, comprising the steps of: providing an elongated memberhaving a generally L-shaped transverse cross-section; positioning themember on a rigid support in a nesting relationship with the support,the support having a surface corresponding to the L-shaped cross-sectionof the member; moving a vehicle along the member; removing the memberfrom the rigid support; and repositioning the member on the rigidsupport.

[0013] Other objects, advantages and features of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a front view of a rail in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a side view of the rail illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0016]FIG. 3 is an exploded, front view of the rail in accordance withthe first embodiment of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 4 is an exploded, side view of the rail in accordance withthe first embodiment of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the beam transverse to thelongitudinal axis of the beam in accordance with the present inventionhaving a first alternative embodiment of the cover, which forms arounded riding surface;

[0019]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the beam transverse to thelongitudinal axis of the beam in accordance with the present inventionhaving a second alternative embodiment of the cover, which forms arounded riding surface;

[0020]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rail in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention positioned on a roadway curb;

[0021]FIG. 8 is a side view of the rail in accordance with the secondembodiment of the present invention and illustrating a skateboardsliding along the rail:

[0022] FIGS. 9-15 are schematic drawings illustrating variouscross-sectional shapes of covers or caps in accordance with the presentinvention, the cross-sections are taken transverse to the longitudinalaxis of the cover;

[0023] FIGS. 16-18 illustrate additional, various cross-sectional shapesof covers or caps in accordance with the present invention, thecross-sections are taken transverse to the longitudinal axis of thecover and a portion of the beam 12 is also illustrated in cross-section;

[0024]FIG. 19 illustrates an additional embodiment of a beam inaccordance with the present invention;

[0025] FIGS. 20-25 illustrate various embodiments of a support for thebeam in accordance with the present invention, the cross-sections aretaken transverse to the longitudinal axis of the rail assembly and aresupported above the surface, which is also illustrated; and

[0026]FIG. 26 illustrates a rail assembly in accordance with anadditional embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] As seen in FIGS. 1-4, the preferred embodiment of the inventionis illustrated as a rail assembly or rail 10 for supporting vehiclesalong its length. Although an array of vehicles can be used with rail10, it is preferably suited for use with skate-type vehicles such as,skateboards, in-line skates, snowboards, soap shoes, scooters, bicycles,and other similar vehicles capable of traveling along a smooth surface.The user typically jumps up onto the rail 10 and with the skating deviceon the rail 10, the user travels along the rail until the user jumpsback off the rail. This is referred to as “grinding.” The rail canremain portable, that is, not fixed to any one location, and since therail 10 preferably includes only materials that cannot rust, theinvention can be left outdoors without special care for rain or rust.

[0028] Rail 10 includes an elongated beam 12 having a cover 14 toprovide the riding surface. The beam is supported at both ends abovesupporting surface 16 by supports 18.

[0029] Beam 12 can be formed of any appropriate material but ispreferably made from lightweight material such as wood or plastic. If aplastic beam 12 is used, a lightweight plastic material and/or a plastichoneycomb configuration can be used to decrease weight. A suitable beam12 can be a piece of stock wood in a common size such as 2×2, 2×4, 2×6,2×8, 2×10, 2×12 or even 4×4 through 4×16, although any appropriate shapeor size of beam can be used. For example, the beam 12 can be round incross-section. The beam has a first end 40, a second end 42, a top 44,and a bottom 46. If the beam 12 is wood, it can be pressure treated topreserve the durability of the beam 12.

[0030] The beam 12 can be elevated above surface 16 by a pair ofsupports 18. For ease of manufacturing, the supports, as illustrated inthe drawings, can be substantially identical. Although numerous suitableconfigurations are possible, it is advantageous to form supports fromreadily obtainable material as in channel with square or roundedcross-sections that are widely available. Support 18 can have a tubularelbow 50 with grips 52 at each end of the elbow 50 for traction with thesupporting surface 16. The grips 52 are preferably a rubber or plasticmaterial and aid in frictionally engaging the surface 16 to stabilizethe rail 10. At the apex of the elbow 50, two substantially identicalplates or flanges 54 extend from the elbow 50 to form a receiving area56, which is shaped to mate with the beam 12. The beam 12 fits snuglywithin the receiving area 56 and can then be further secured within thearea 56 by any appropriate fastening mechanism such as fasteners 20, forexample, as with screws or bolts that extend into the beam 12. The beam12 can be predrilled by the manufacturer or the fastener holes can bedrilled during installation.

[0031] Although supports 18 are illustrated as being substantiallyidentical, they can be otherwise formed to create varyingcharacteristics of the rail 10. For example, one support 18 could raisethe beam 12 higher from the surface 16 to create an inclined rail 10.Also, the beam 12 and cover 14 assembly could be used without anysupports 18 and instead be positioned on fixed supports or othertemporary supports supplying the desired orientation of the beam 12.

[0032] Cover or channel or cap 14 provides a hard, smooth surface forcontacting with the skate-like vehicles while they travel along the rail10 and cover 14 fits snugly on top of the beam 12. In the preferredembodiment the cover 14 is sized to fit snugly on the narrow dimensionof stock sizes of lumber, such as 2×4, 2×8, 2×10, 2×12 boards, and canbe provided in any desired length, including standard stock lumberlengths of 6, 8, and 10 feet. The cover can be also be provided in twoshorter pieces that can be butted together to cover a longer beam. Forinstance, the cover 14 could be provided in two 5 foot lengths whichcould then be used with a 10 foot board to provide a 10 foot rail. Thetwo cover pieces need only be attached to the longer board so that theadjacent ends butt together.

[0033] Cover 14 can take many forms but preferably matches the shape ofbeam 12. In the figures, since beam 12 is rectangular in cross-section,the cover is generally U-shaped in cross-section. Alternatively, thecover 14 can have a cross-section different than that of the beam 12depending on the desired rail 10 characteristics. For instance, the usermay prefer to ride on a rounded cover 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6instead of a sharp edge formed by the cover 14 illustrated in FIGS. 1-4.

[0034] Cover 14 includes a top, exterior surface or riding surface 60that is supported on top of the beam 12 by two sides 62. Cover 14 ispreferably formed of a smooth, hard, rust-resistant material such asstainless steel, aluminum, or durable plastic material. If desired,cover 14 can be attached to beam 12 using fasteners. Some fasteners thatcan supply the necessary connection include adhesives on the surfacesconnecting cover 14 to beam 12 and counter-sunk screws positioned in thesides 62 of the cover 14. Other coupling options include tape, spikesunder the cover 14, metal tabs that dig into the wood, a pressure fit, asoft wedge of rubber or cork.

[0035] In FIGS. 5 and 6, a cover with rounded skating surfaces isillustrated. This provides a different, more rounded surface on whichthe skater will ride along the beam 12. In FIG. 5, cover 74 is generallyU-shaped and attached to beam 12 only at the sides of beam 12 whilecover 84 in FIG. 6 has a cross-section shaped to receive the beam 12 andabuts beam 12 on three surfaces of the beam 12. Preferably, covers 74and 84 are substantially identical to cover 14 except for theircross-section shape.

[0036] The rail 10 is portable due to its light size and itsconstruction. Since a lightweight beam 12 is used, the rail is easy tomanipulate and move. One advantage of the modular design of the rail 10is that it is easy to ship and repair. For example, a user can purchaseonly a cover 14 and a pair of supports 18 and then assemble the rail 10using a piece of stock lumber obtained separately in the user's localeand at a low price. Thus, shipping costs are minimized since only thelightweight cover 14 and supports 18 are shipped to the user. Further,since the cover can be provided in two pieces of shorter length for usewith a longer board, as described above, the length of the shippingpackage can be reduced for easier handling. Thus, two foot cover piecescan be shipped in a generally 5 foot long package but an be used with a10 foot board to make a 10 foot rail. All of this reduces the end priceof the rail to the user.

[0037] Further, since the cover 14 is sized to fit on standard sizedlumber available from the local lumber yard, the rail can be assembledwithout need for saws to cut the wood. Rather, only a wrench orscrewdriver need be used to attach the legs to the beam. This hasseveral advantages. First, the user need not have expensive saws orother equipment available to assemble the rail. Only commonly availablehand tools need be used. Second, since a saw is not necessary the dangerto the user is reduced, which is especially important when the user maybe a teenager, as here. Also, if a piece of the rail 10 breaks, thebroken piece can simply be removed without damaging the other elementsof the rail and a new piece can be inserted. In addition, since therectangular or rounded configuration cover 14 can be easilyinterchanged, the configuration of the rail 10 can be quickly changed.Thus, the user can have two rail configurations for only the cost of thesecond cover 14.

[0038] A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5-6.More specifically, a rail 100 is illustrated that is substantiallyL-shaped and capable of being positioned on a mating, rigid surface suchas a roadway curb 106 or stair step so that a riding surface can beestablished on the previous surface that was not as suitable for ridingas the rail 100 as well as to protect the surface from damage due to theskateboard, etc. Rail 100 preferably has only two sides 102 and 104 sothat it is easily positioned on to and easily removed from the rigidsurface 16. Although the rail is shown as generally L-shaped, it canalso have a more rounded angle to better conform to more rounded curbs.In an alternative embodiment, a layer of relatively soft material 120such as rubber, foam or cork can be attached on the curb facing side ofthe rail 100 to provide a more conforming fit between the rail 100 andthe curb, as well as to help keep the rail in place on the curb.Additionally, a non-permanent, removable, tacky adhesive may also beused between the rail and the curb to temporarily attach the rail to thecurb. Alternative temporary fasteners can also be used, such as strapsand clips to help temporarily maintain the rail in place on the curb. Asseen in FIG. 6, a skateboard is riding along the exterior surface 110 ofthe rail 100. Although this embodiment is illustrated on a curb 106,rail 100 could be used on any appropriate surface, including a bench anda sawhorse. The rail 100 can be made of any smooth, hard, rust-resistantmaterial, such as metal or hard plastic.

[0039] FIGS. 9-18 illustrate various embodiments of the cover 14 inaddition to those illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and in FIGS. 5 and 6. Theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 9-18 represent cross-sectional views ofvarious covers and are shown to illustrate some of the many forms thecover can take to provide rails having different characteristics for therider.

[0040]FIG. 9 shows the cover 14, which is discussed above and is perfectfor skateboarding. FIG. 10 shows the cover 74, which is discussed aboveand is preferred for bicycles and in-line skates. FIG. 11 shows a cover206 that is similar to cover 14, but is slanted to form an incline. FIG.12 shows a cover 208 that is substantially identical to cover 206, butincludes an additional stabilizing flange 210 for attaching to the topof the beam 12. FIGS. 13 and 14 show covers 212 and 216, respectivelyhaving grooves 214 and 218, respectively. The grooves 214 and 218 reducefriction and provide for easier grinds with skateboard trucks. The boltin the trucks fits in the grooves 214 and 218 and does not scrape on thegrinding surface. FIG. 15 shows a cover 220 having a wide grindingsurface for correspondence with a beam having a wider width than beam 12for users needing more stability than that provided by a more narrowbeam 12. FIG. 16 shows the cover 74 including a spacer 232 to reinforcecover 74 to avoid crushing of cover 74 from the weight of the user whilegrinding. FIG. 17 illustrates cover 206 having a reinforcing spacer 236.FIG. 18 shows a cover formed of two substantially identical pieces 238positioned on opposite edges of the beam 12. The pieces 238 arepreferably right angles that can also be secured to grinding membersother than a beam 12, such as, a bench or a curb.

[0041] All covers can be fastened to their corresponding beam in anyappropriate manner. For example, the covers can be attached to the beamby double-sided tape, glue, epoxy, rubber, cork, spikes, screws andbolts. Also, the covers can be adapted to facilitate the attachment tothe beam by the appropriate fastener. For instance to facilitate theattachment of the covers to the beam 12 by screws or bolts, the coverscan include holes though which the screws or bolts can extend.

[0042]FIG. 19 shows an alternative embodiment of the cover. AlthoughFIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate a substantially straight upper surface 80 ofthe cover 14, covers and beams can have different longitudinal shapes toprovide grinding surfaces having different characteristics. For example,cover 250 has an upper surface 251 that is concave to provide a grindingsurface that enables the user to launch off one of the inclined ends 253and 254 of the cover 250.

[0043] FIGS. 20-25 show various embodiments of supports for the beamsand covers in accordance with the subject invention. FIG. 20 shows asupport having two substantially identical right angles 260 fastened tobeam 12 by fasteners 264 such as screws. Also, a layer of frictionalmaterial 262, such as rubber, is preferably provided on the side 263 ofeach right angle 260 engaging supporting surface 16. FIG. 21 shows asupport having two substantially identical angular members 270 fastenedto beam 12 by fasteners 264 such as screws. Also, a boot of frictionalmaterial 272, such as rubber, is provided on the end of each member 270engaging supporting surface 16. FIGS. 22 and 23 show cast or weldedsupports 280 and 290, respectively, that are cast, molded, or welded tocorrespond to the bottom shape of beam 12. Support 280 can also havereinforcing members 283 spaced along the length of the beam 12 toreinforce the support 280 and, thus, the stability of the rail. Itshould be understood that any of the supports can have reinforcingmembers to further stabilize and strengthen not only the supports butalso the entire rail. These reinforcing members are optional dependingon the desired characteristics of the subject rail. In FIG. 22,reinforcing members 283 are generally triangular members that are weldedto the main portion 285 of support 280. FIG. 23 is a two-piece versionof that shown in FIG. 22. FIGS. 24 and 25 correspond to FIGS. 22 and 23,respectively, except the supports 281 and 290 are bent from a singlepiece of material such as metal instead of being cast, molded, orwelded.

[0044] The supports of the invention raising the beam 12 abovesupporting surface 16 are preferably portable so that the rail 10 can bepicked up and moved to various locations. Alternatively, the supportsdescribed above can be rigidly and permanently mounted to a fixedstructure or supporting surface 16 so that the rails are permanentstructures. Such permanent structures may be advantageously mounted inskate parks, the user's home, or other places where skating willregularly occur.

[0045]FIG. 26 illustrates yet another embodiment of a rail in accordancewith the invention. Rail assembly 310 illustrated in FIG. 26 has a beam312 supported by support 318 and has a cover 314 with a reinforcingspacer 315. Beam 312 can be a wide beam with shallow thickness, such asa 2×12 board, while support 318 can be a 2×6 board that is fastened tothe beam 312 by an appropriate fastener 320, such as a screw. To providea grinding surface that is generally level, beam 312 has a cover 314similar to cover 206 and a reinforcing spacer 236 similar to spacer 236.This embodiment requires even fewer specialty items in that only thecover 314 and the spacer 315 are specifically made for the grinding rail310. The user purchases the beam 312 and the support 318 locally from ahome supply or lumber store as stock items, along with the fasteners320. Thus, the cost of manufacturing and shipping the rail 310 is evenfurther reduced.

[0046] While advantageous embodiments have been chosen to illustrate theinvention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes and modifications can be made therein without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rail assembly for supporting a rider,comprising: a non-metallic, elongated beam having a first end, a secondend, a top surface, and a bottom; a first support having an upperreceiving area coupled to said first end of said beam adjacent saidbottom of said beam, said first support having a lower portion forcontacting a supporting surface and for spacing said beam from thesupporting surface; and a cover positioned over said top surface of saidboard and spaced from said first support, said cover having a relativelysmooth, upper exterior surface.
 2. A beam assembly according to claim 1,wherein said first support and said cover are metal.
 3. A grinding railassembly, comprising: an elongated non-metallic beam having a first end,a second end, a top surface, and a bottom; a first metal support havingan upper receiving area coupled to said first end of said beam adjacentsaid bottom of said beam, said first support having a lower portion forcontacting a supporting surface and for spacing said beam from thesupporting surface; a second metal support having an upper receivingarea coupled to said second end of said beam adjacent said bottom ofsaid beam, said second support having a lower portion for contacting thesupporting surface and for spacing said beam from the supportingsurface; and a metal cover positioned over substantially the entirelength of said top surface of said beam and spaced from said first andsecond supports, said cover having a relatively smooth, upper exteriorsurface.
 4. A method of using a rail, comprising the steps of: providingan elongated member having an L-shaped transverse cross-section;positioning the member on a rigid support in a nesting relationship withthe support, the support having a surface corresponding to the L-shapedcross-section of the member; moving a vehicle along the member; removingthe member from the rigid support; and repositioning the member on therigid support.